CHAN: Eagles impressed me ―Rohr

Nigeria head coach Gernot Rohr has praised the home-based Super Eagles’ performance at the African Nations Championship (CHAN) finals in Morocco.

The Super Eagles, who were under the guidance of Rohr’s assistant, reached the final where they suffered a 4-0 defeat to the hosts Morocco

Rohr, who closely followed the performance from the stands as he looks to finalise his squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, refused to fault the negative outcome of the final.

“Personally, I think there were lots of positives out there, far more than what people expected from the team,” Rohr told BBC Sport in Casablanca.

“For the group it is good for them at this level, the players can also be proud of what they have done here in Morocco.”

Nigeria finished third in 2014 and were knocked out of the last tournament in Rwanda at the group stage so Rohr believes the result in Morocco is huge progress.

“You don’t define the overall performance based with the final result, they reached this stage against all odds and deserve nothing but our praise and support,” said Rohr.

“I’ve been really impressed and see this as big progress for us,” he added.

“When everyone looks back, they will be satisfied with the exposure, results, and the incredible performance of the team.”

Yusuf led the West African country to their best-ever finish at the tournament for locally-based players on Sunday.